Neil Young is taking a stand against Glastonbury, arguing that the festival is under the “corporate control” of the BBC.
The 79-year-old Harvest Moon musician had not been announced as part of the music festival’s line-up, but said he would not perform at Worthy Farm in June.
In a letter on the Neil Young Archives website, Young said: “The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite outdoor gigs.
“We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”
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He added: “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be. Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”
Deadline has contacted the BBC for comment. The British broadcaster has partnered with Glastonbury since 1997, which did not stop Young from performing at the event in 2009.
The BBC only broadcast five of his songs, however, angering the musician’s fans. The BBC said at the time that it had spent months negotiating with Young.
“Neil’s management agreed to let TV and radio broadcast five songs as they watched and listened to his performance. They believe in the live event and retaining its mystery and that of their artist,” the BBC said.
Since then, the BBC has only increased its coverage of the festival, streaming it on iPlayer and carving up highlights across its services.
Young is well-known for taking a principled approach to his music. In 2022, he pulled his songs off Spotify because of the streaming service’s deal with Joe Rogan, whom Young accused of spreading vaccine misinformation. Young returned to Spotify last March.
Rod Stewart is the only confirmed act for Glastonbury 2025. Other rumored bookings include Rihanna, Eminem, and Ed Sheeran.
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